Flight Training - June 2019 - 39

FLIGHT TRAINING ONLINE

TAILWHEEL LANDING MYTHS
Everything you've been told about wheel landings is wrong
Tailwheel pilots are taught two methods of landing: "wheel" landings, where
the aircraft touches down first on the main wheels, and three-point landings,
where the main wheels and tailwheel touch down simultaneously. The conventional wisdom for wheel landings in taildraggers is that they require higher
approach speeds than the three-point variety and that touchdowns should take
place in a level attitude.
That's what I was taught decades ago as a tailwheel student, anyway.
So, I was more than a little surprised when GPS-equipped Garmin VIRB
video cameras attached to my Van's Aircraft RV-8 showed those are myths.
A series of wheel and three-point landings on a calm day showed approach
speeds were identical; touchdown speeds were within 2 knots; and the best
wheel landings took place when touching down in a tail-low attitude-not a flat
one.
Wheel landings typically consumed about 50 percent more runway than
three-point landings-no surprise there. But the reason for the long rollouts is a
relatively slow deceleration after touchdown in the wheel-landing attitude, not
a faster touchdown speed. (Tailwheel airplanes decelerate much quicker in a
three-point attitude.)
Pilots of tailwheel airplanes can argue endlessly about the merits of both types
of landings-and I certainly have my own preferences and opinions. But the GPS
cameras used in this video show some facts are indisputable. -Dave Hirschman
aopa.org/ft/threepointlandings

ing loads to find that stress riser
and turn it into a fatigue crack.
Lose a chunk of the prop and it's
possible for the vibration to be
so fierce that it tears the engine
off the airplane. If a nick is found
on the prop, ground the airplane
until your local airplane and
powerplant mechanic files it out.
"Even on a sloped runway, land
into the wind." Yes, we make

a point to land into the wind.
However, sometimes the slope
on a major runway is such that
landing downslope requires a
significant headwind to counteract the effect of the slope.
Landing uphill with a slight tailwind seems counterintuitive, but
in some situations it is required.
"Density altitude is no big
deal." Boy, is that wrong-espe-

cially in parts of the country
where temperatures and topography combine to suck the life
out of an airplane. And you don't
have to be in Denver to experience the effects. At 80 degrees
Fahrenheit, a runway that is
1,500 feet above mean sea level
(msl) becomes nearly 2,900 feet
above sea level; 90 degrees makes

it 3,500 feet and 100 degrees
shoves it up to 4,100 feet. Those
density altitudes represent big
drops in available power and
aerodynamic efficiency, and your
usually spritely little performer
turns into a real dog and can't get
out of its own way.
"Don't believe placards: They
have a lot of margin built into
them." In some cases they do.

However, there's no way to know
how much the margin is without knowing the engineering
assumptions behind them. They
might be based on structural
concerns. In other words, believe
what the placard says and behave
accordingly.
"A really low-time engine
makes an airplane worth
more." It's hard to tell how many

people have bought an airplane
with a 200-hour engine on it,
only to have it start grinding
itself to death in a few hours.
The villain isn't the number of
hours, but how long ago it was
rebuilt and whether the airplane
sat dormant for an extended
period-and, equally important,
where it was located during its

extended slumber. Lycomings,
for instance, hate not being used.
Their camshaft often begins to
rust. If the airplane is near water
or industrial smog, the process is
accelerated. Plus, the time on an
engine doesn't say who rebuilt
it and to what specifications it
was overhauled or rebuilt-both
words that have specific meanings to the FAA.
"Fixer-upper airplanes are great
bargains." Unless you're capable

of doing the paint, engine work,
and avionics upgrades yourself,
you won't save money this way. It
might work on a few airplanes, but
the vast majority of the time it's
better to buy the best airplane in
the class. A DIY dream could turn
into a nightmare.
IN CONCLUSION

We haven't even scratched the
surface of the myths hidden
within aviation. So, don't take
everything you're told on face
value. Do a little research and
find the truth for yourself. That's
what aviating is all about. FT
BUDD DAVISSON is an aviation writer

and CFI.
WWW.AOPA.ORG/FT 39

http://www.aopa.org/ft/threepointlandings http://WWW.AOPA.ORG/FT

Flight Training - June 2019

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